We recently reported on the new art installations that have been set up in New York and Dublin. Dubbed the “bridge to a united planet,” the Portals are high-tech sculptures that provided an interface for people in both cities to visually connect with each other in real time.
They are proving popular for allowing people from Ireland and the United States to catch a glimpse of life the other side of the pond. They’ve even managed two siblings, both in the two different cities, to connect with each other.
However, as with so many technological ideas, people have found an opportunity to use “The Portals” to deepen their faith.
In a reel shared by Franco Aurelio, the young man stated that as far as he knows, he and a group of other faithful in New York, and a group of lay people and Dominicans in Dublin, are the first people to pray together through the Portals.
A worthy initiative
As Aurelio explains, the idea was initially given to him by @metathomist, one of his friends on X. The devout Catholic jumped on the idea and encouraged his social media followers in the vicinity of the portal to join him in the combined prayers.
One of his followers went a step further and contacted some Dominicans in Dublin, who gathered laypeople on their end to join them in their prayers. And if you look at the video you’ll see that the passers by are pulling out their rosaries to join in prayer with the Dominicans. (And the friars are busy giving instruction to Aurelio over the telephone, which feels a little like cheating!)
His post has garnered many positive reactions, including some people stating they’ve been inspired to carry their rosaries with them. And others pointing out that this was “by far the best use of this Portal yet.”
Others called for Portals to be set up in every major city, imagining the power of this combined prayer.
Franco has shared that this prayer initiative will continue on the 22nd of each month at 2 p.m. EST. If you happen to be in the area, you can join with faithful from the Emerald Isle or the Big Apple and pray the Rosary.
For more information about the Portals, have a look at the official website here.
And today we celebrate...